Check-row corn-planter



(No Modem 2 Sheets-Shet 1.

W. M. WILLIAMS. GHBGK 110W CORN PLANTER.

No. 404,025'. Patented May 28, 1889.

(No Modem 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. M. WILLIAMS.

CHECK RCW CORN PLANTER.

No. 404,025. Patented May 28,4 1889.

mnu

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

VILBUR M. WILLIAMS, OF HOLDEN, MISSOURI.

CHECK-ROW CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,025, dated May 28,1889.

Application filed October 24, 1888. Serial No. 289,049. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILBUR M. WILLIAMS,

'a citizen of the United States, residing at Holden, in the county ofJohnson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Oheck- Rower Corn- Planters; andI do hereby declare thefollow# ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in check-rower corn-planters.

The object is to secure a check-rower which shall be actuated by theground-wh eel of the planter, and in which the feed-bar shall be sooperated that the corn will be dropped in direct alignment across thefield as well as in the direction in which the planter moves, therebyadmitting of the cultivating of the corn in both directions.

With these ends in view myinvention consists in certain features ofconstruction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view of a portion of acorn-planter, showing the check-rower and parts immediately connectedtherewith in operative position. Fig. 2 is a plan View, and Figs. 3, 4,and 5 are detail views of parts. l,

A represents one of the side rails of the main frame of the planter, athe axle, vand B one of the supporting-wheels. The main frame and wheelsmay be of any wellknown or approved form, and, indeed, one of theprominent advantages of the check-rower mechanism Which is about to bedescribed lies in its adapt-ability to most of the corn-planters now inuse without materially changing their construction.

The feed-hoppers C are located one on the right-hand side and the otheron the left-hand side of the planter, as is usual, and the feedbar c,for operating the valves to drop the corn, is located transversely ofthe planter, and has an endWise-sliding movement, as is common. Themechanism for operating the feed-bar c at the proper intervals isconstructed and arranged as follows: A circular plate, D, hav. ing ahollow center to receive the hub of the wheel B, is provided on itsinner face at its outer edge with a series of ratchet-teeth, ol,preferably sixty-six in number. A second circular plate, E, also havinga hollow center to receive the hub and corresponding with the plate D,is provided with an annular iiange, e, on the side toward the plate D,which serves, when the parts are assembled, to space it from the plateD, and is also provided with a series of ratchet-teeth, c', on its facetoward the plate D at its inner edge, the teeth e being the same innumber and corresponding to the teeth el in the plate D, but having apitch in the opposite direction. A ring, F, having a width somewhat lessthan the distance between the opposite series of teeth, d and e', isadapted to loosely it on the periph ery of the flange e between theplates D and E, and said ring is provided with a short series of teeth,f f', preferably six in number, and located in corresponding positionson opposite sides of the ring, the teeth f being opa posed in pitch tothe teeth d, and the teeth f being opposed in pitch to the teeth e. Thewidth of the ring and its teeth is such that when the parts areassembled the ring can only turn the length of one tooth at a time,requiring at the end of each such movement to be slid laterally to freeit from the abut` ting teeth before it' can be turned anothertooth-length.

The plates D and E and ring F are assembled by slipping the ring F overthe flange e and then securing the plate E to the plate D and the wholeto the inner side of the Wheel B around its hub by staple bolts or clipsf 2, which embrace several of the spokes of the wheel and extend throughthe plates, thereby causing the whole to rotate with the wheel B. Fromopposite points on the periphery of the ring F cams G and G project forthe purpose of operating the feed-bar c. The mechanism intermediate thesaid cams and the bar c is constructed as follows: A lengthwiseslidingbar, II, is supported transversely of the frame-piece A, and is providedwith a roller, h, loosely mounted on a stud or pin projected rearwardlyfrom its outer end. The outer end of the bar H is supported upon abracket, h', provided with upwardly projected guide-lugs h2, and toprevent undue sliding friction an anti-friction roller, h3, is journaledin the under side of the bar and IOO rests upon 'the upper face of thebracket. The roller h is located in the path ofthe cams G and G, and thecam G is so twisted that it will engage the roller h and slide it, andhence the bar H, inwardly as it passes, and the cam G is so twisted thatit will engage the roller h and slide it, and hence the bar H, outwardlyas it passes. The motions of the bar H are communicated to the feed-barcby means of a bell-crank lever, l, pivoted intermediate its ends toabracket-support, '11, at-

- tached to the frame-piece A, and havingone ofits arms looselyconnected with -the inner end of the bar H, andy its other arm loosely zconnected with the feed-bar c. The latter connection is preferably madeby means of a plate, K,secu red to the rear edge of the bar c, andprovided with an oblong slot through it,`in which the end of the arm ofthe bellcrank lever is loosely received.

To detect any gain or loss in distance between the successive'droppings' 0f the Cora 'and hence a "failure te make a perfectalignment crosswise, a pair of markers, L, are hinged to the oppositesides of the planter, and their freefends are adapted to reach theground at a'distancefrom the center of a planted hill equal yto aboutonefhalfthe distance between two successive hills. The markers L are operatedby cords Z attached'thereto, one to standards Z? iat the sides ofthe planter, thence tofpulleys Z3, located in7 above, and slightlyoutside of the plane of the frame-pieee A, and thence to` a slide, M,supported in a guideway, N. M The guideway N is held in an obliq'uepositiompreferably at an angle of about forty-five'degrees below andVslightly outside of the trame-piece A, by means of suitable hangers,0,secured tol the said framefpiece. The slide M is adapted to enter thelower open end of thegroeve n in the guideway and to slide freely insaid guidew'ay'to its'upper end or a distance sufficient to allow themarkers to rise and fall the desired amount.' The lower end of the slideis provided with an eye or hook,m, to which the ends o f the cords Z areattached, and the said slide is held normally at the lcwer end of thegroove a by means of a pivoted latch, m', the lower end of whichprojects, through the side of the guideway into engagem entwiththeguide, a spring, m?, being interppsed between the uppcrend of the latchand the side of the guideway to hold it in locked adjustment. The lowerend of the slide M is provided with an upwardly-,projected finger, m3,the purpose. of which will hereinafter appear. 'In order to spring thelatch m and allowfthe markers to drop at the instant of planting. a hillof corn7 a lever, P, is` pivoted to the frame-piece A in such pesi-Ation that itsI upper end will engage a shoulder, h4, on the rear edge ofthe bar H and its. lower end will engagethe forward end of the, latch.IThus when the bar H is slid inwardly itwill carry'with it the upper endof the lever l?, and its lower end will operate v.the latch and releasethe slide, allowing the markers to drop. Furthermore, as the upper endof the lever l? reaches the limit of its inward stroke it engages aguide, 19, which projects from the frame-piece A and extends rearwardlya short distance beyond the rear edge of the bar H,

whereby the end of the lever -P is pressed `they have dropped by meansof an arm, Q,

which projects from the periphery of the ring F at a point just back ofthe cam G in position to engage the finger on the slide, Such eengagement takes place immediately after the markers have dropped., andthe slideM is thereby slid downwardly alongthe guideway into position tobe held by the latch, at which moment the arm Q releases it inthe courseof the revolution of the wheel B, and the mark ers are in position to-beagain dropped when the cam G shall have completed another revolution.The markers are yonly released at the moment of the inward slide of thebar H, and hence only fall with the planting- Qf each a1- y e v Aternate pair of hills of corn. each, and leading therefrom over pulleysZ- on AS the planter make@ each 'Successive 09ers@ across the field oneof the markers she fall in the same places as when it made its precedingcoursc, and hence its deviation from such positions will denote either aloss or` gain of distance, as the case may be.

ln order to adjust the check-rower mechanism to correctthe error, thering F is, as heretofore described, capable oi a SCGWSG imovementbetween the plates D and E to l allow it t-o turn'one tooth at. atime.The ring .F is held normalyn engagement with the teeth on the face ofthe plate EI bymeans of ;a pair of springs, b, secured to the edge ofthe ring toward'theplate D 'and bearing found to fall short ef the placewhere itshonld i fall, the error maybe corrected by the driver pressingoutwardly withV his foot o r. hand against/the cam G', while the arm Q,is er1- of theplanter. If til@ setback of* one tooth distance is notenough to correct the error, the ring may be pressed outwardly one ormore adeiaonainms untnthe required space IOO IIO

1 against the plate D'. 4 lt', then, the marker is c IZO is gained.If,`on the other.hand,the markers are falling. in advance of theirproperpositions, it will b e necessary to advance the ring F one or more teethto cause the markers to fall sooner than they otherwise would. This isaccomplished as follows: To the rear edge vof the arm Q apeculiarly-constructed kneeshaped pawl, R, is pivoted, so as to admit ofa limited swing of the pawl between the arm Q and the periphery of thering F. The upper or outer portion of said pawl is held normally awayfrom the edge of the arm Q by means of a spring, r, seated in a recessin the pawl and pressing against the edge of they arm Q. The lower orinner portion of said pawl is provided with a perforation, S, extendingin a direction parallel with a tangent to the ring F, the saidperforation being gradually enlarged in a direction radial to the ringF, as it extends from the rear of the pawl toward the front of the same.In said perforation is seated the shank of a claw-bar, T, the samehaving a longitudinally-sliding movement in its seat, and its front endhaving a vertical play in the tapered perforation. The forward movementof the bar T is limited by a stud or pin, t, set in the shank andadapted to work in a groove, s, at the side of the perforation S, andthe bar T is held normally in forward adjustment by means of a spring,U, secured at one end to the front of the pawl R, and its free endloosely engaging the bar T near its front end. The claw t of the bar Tis adapted to engage one of the teeth of t-he plate D when the pawl R istilted forwardly, while the claw t2 engages the opposite edge of theplateD to form a guide. i

The driver when he desires to advance the ring F presses his footagainst the rear of the pawl R, thereby causing it to tilt or rock overtoward the front, causing the claw t to engage a tooth on the plate D.This forms a bearing for the moment to retard the forward tilt of thepawl, and a further pressure will cause the pawl and arm Q, to which itis secured, to advance relatively to the plate D, the shank of theclaw-bar receding through the perforation S the distance of one tooth,thereby allowing the ring F to be advanced one tooth. The moment thefoot is removed the pawl, through the tension of the springs, as noted,will resume its normal position and be in condition for a repetition ofthe operation.

It will be observed that the check-rower mechanism above described maybe manufactured and shipped to be applied to the planters now in use,its construction being such that it may be attached with but littlefitting, and this of a simple and inexpensive character.

It is evident that slight changes might be resorted to in theconstruction and arrangement of the several parts described withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wishto restrict myself strictly to the construction herein set forth; but,

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a check-rower mechanism, the combination, with two sets ofoppositely-disposed ratchet-teeth actuated by the planter-wheel, of atoothed ring interposed between the said sets of ratchet-teeth, meansfor throwing the toothed ring into engagement with either set ofratchet-teeth, the feed mechanism, and means for communicating themotion of the toothed ring to the feed mechanism, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination, with the feed mechanism and the ground-wheel of theplanter, of two circular series of ratchet-teeth secured to theground-wheel and concentric therewith, and a cam-carrying ring foroperating the feed mechanism, the cam-carrying ring being looselymounted between the said series of ratchet-teeth and having interlockingratchetteeth on its opposite edges, substantially as set forth.

3. lThe combination, with the feed mechanism, the ground-wheel of theplanter, and op erating devices connecting the ground-wheel and feedmechanism, of a pair of rising and falling markers, an inclinedguideway,a slide seated in said guideway, flexible connections betweenthe slide and the markers, and a holding and releasing device inconnection with the slide and feed mechanism for operating the slide,and hence the markers, simultaneously with the dropping of the corn,substantially as set forth.

4t. The combinatiomwith the feed mechanism, the ground-wheel of theplanter, and operating devices connecting the ground-wheel with the feedmechanism, of a pair of rising and. falling markers, a guideway, a slideseated in the guideway, connections between the slide and markers, aspring-actuated latch to hold the slide, and a latch-operating lever inengagement with the spring-latch and with the feed mechanism,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with thefeed-bar and the groundwheel adapted toactuate the feedbar, of a guideway, a slide seated in the guideway, apair of rising and falling markers connected with the slide, aspring-actuated latch, a latclroperating lever in engagement with thefeed-bar, and a guide located in the path of the latch-operating leverto throw it out of engagement with the feed-bar as it reaches the end ofits stroke, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the feed mechanism, the rotary cam and itssupport, the rising and falling markers, and the slide connected withthe markers, of the toothed plate between which the cam-support ismounted and the springs for holding the cam-support in normal engagementwith one of the toothed plates, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination,with the feed mechanism, thc rotary cam-support, therising and IOC) IIO

